Marvel/Netflix Daredevil season 2.

[RAMA]

I'm through 4 episodes. I don't want to make an overall assessment till the finale, but so far, it's running slightly behind season one for me in quality. It looks like it promises to have a bigger scope (Im aware the Hand appears from the trailer). My only real complaint is similar to Christopher's: Implied violence is often more effective than actual violence.

 

[The Old Mixer]

It was toned down, not because we got to know the character but because it just fizzled out.

Hmm...that doesn't sound promising. I was giving the show the benefit of the doubt that there might be more to her once we got a better look inside her head, like with Punisher.

 

[Commander Richard]

^ You will get more on her background but I thought it could have been handled better.

 

[The Old Mixer]

On the subject of some gore and violence being better left unshown...maybe I'm just getting to be an old prude, but I'm finding myself thinking the same about the sex. There was a scene in episode 5 where I found myself thinking, "OK, this is where we should be cutting away to give the couple their privacy, we all know what happens next."

Forgot to mention...I wish they'd done something to change up that weird opening title sequence. Guess I can just skip it.

 

[tomalak301]

I'm really liking this season but the only thing holding it back for me (and it's my attitude on the overall series) is the gratuitous violence. It was almost like the show was trying to top itself with gore in each episode and it almost doesn't mean anything anymore. I see this show being compared to network shows and that's not fair. To compare this show to Supergirl, for example, Is asinine.

 

[Commander Richard]

On the subject of some gore and violence being better left unshown...maybe I'm just getting to be an old prude, but I'm finding myself thinking the same about the sex. There was a scene in episode 5 where I found myself thinking, "OK, this is where we should be cutting away to give the couple their privacy, we all know what happens next."

I think it depends on the production and what works in terms of tone and style. And even if we don't see anything, it shouldn't come across like it was censored. I think they found a good balance in episode 5. They didn't show everything but they didn't hide it either. If I had to choose one extreme though, I'd rather see everything.

Forgot to mention...I wish they'd done something to change up that weird opening title sequence. Guess I can just skip it.

I thought about that. I didn't mind that we didn't get a new intro. They put a lot into it and this isn't the kind of show that needs a new one every season.

 

[The Old Mixer]

See, I think that if they're not going to show everything, they could cut away at a more tactful point. Staying in that scene as long as we did just felt awkwardly voyeuristic.

 

[Maestro]

Saw the first ep last night. Still really good.

 

[Christopher]

On the subject of some gore and violence being better left unshown...maybe I'm just getting to be an old prude, but I'm finding myself thinking the same about the sex. There was a scene in episode 5 where I found myself thinking, "OK, this is where we should be cutting away to give the couple their privacy, we all know what happens next."

I'd rather see more skin and less violence. It's so totally backward that we think it's more acceptable to show human bodies blown apart and broken than it is to show human bodies undressed. I mean, even aside from any moral issues, it seems backward from a strictly aesthetic standpoint to favor showing something ugly and disgusting over something beautiful.

 

[tomalak301]

Just finished Season 2. Other than a few quibbles, I really enjoyed that. The Punisher was such a well written character and Elektra started kind of annoying but got better as the season went on. Not really have much spoilerific things to say about the finale other than I loved the scenes with Karen, especially the final 20 minutes. I'd probably give this season a A- as a whole, and the series a B+ to this point. It is very well written.

There is one spoiler thing I wanted to ask regarding the finale

Spoiler: Finale Question

Can we see Foggy in Jessica Jones? I really liked seeing Hogarth in Daredevil and just like how these Netflix series are coming together. I will say though that I might have to rewatch the first season of JJ before that season comes out. I will probably do the same thing with Daredevil before the third season. There were things here that kind of confused me, mainly because I don't read the comic books and I'm wondering why are there so many Ninjas taking control of New York City?

 

[tomalak301]

I'd rather see more skin and less violence. It's so totally backward that we think it's more acceptable to show human bodies blown apart and broken than it is to show human bodies undressed. I mean, even aside from any moral issues, it seems backward from a strictly aesthetic standpoint to favor showing something ugly and disgusting over something beautiful.

If there is one thing I don't like about these kind of shows it's the glorification of Violence. Why are we so accustomed to seeing this while any semblance of Sex makes us (As a society) queasy? I agree, it is backwards.

 

[Reverend]

I think if they toned down the violence it would rather undercut what they're trying to do with Frank Castle. It's war movie violence because for him, he's fighting a war. Whereas Daredevil's fight scenes are more Hong Kong martial arts movie violence because...well, it's obvious, no?

I'd also argue that portraying something isn't the same as glorifying it. If anything it's showing the cost of and gritty reality of violence in general and gun violence in particular.

Not that I disagree that it's messed up how blood and gore is considered more acceptable that bare genitalia. Because it's totally backwards.

 

[The Old Mixer]

To be clear, I'd be happy with more restraint in both areas. Either gore or sex can be depicted effectively in the right context, but more gore for the sake of gore and more sex for the sake of sex I can do without.

 

[tomalak301]

I guess for me, my definition of glorification is beating someone to death, and then still beating his brains in. It's just one of those instances where I'm like, I get it, you don't have to shove it down my throat what just happened. There were a few times this season where I felt like that was the case and it just felt completely unnecessary.

 

[Christopher]

There is one spoiler thing I wanted to ask regarding the finale

Spoiler: Finale Question

Can we see Foggy in Jessica Jones? I really liked seeing Hogarth in Daredevil and just like how these Netflix series are coming together.

Well, it's worth noting that Hogarth is an Iron Fist character in the comics. So that firm and its members could be showing up in more than one of the shows.

If there is one thing I don't like about these kind of shows it's the glorification of Violence. Why are we so accustomed to seeing this while any semblance of Sex makes us (As a society) queasy? I agree, it is backwards.

Honestly, I'm torn on whether this was glorifying violence by showing so much of it, or deglamorizing it by showing how brutal and horrible it is. I'm inclined to think that if you're going to show violence, it's better to make it as ugly and horrifying as possible, rather than sanitizing it and making it seem like no big deal. Although a lot of that is showing the consequences, the trauma inflicted on the survivors (which Jessica Jones covered marvelously) and the grief endured by the survivors (which Father Lantom's eulogy for Grotto acknowledged nicely). That's probably more important, and less self-indulgent, than actually showing the graphic gore on-camera.

To be clear, I'd be happy with more restraint in both areas. Either gore or sex can be depicted effectively in the right context, but more gore for the sake of gore and more sex for the sake of sex I can do without.

Whereas I've always been puzzled by the tendency to pair sex and violence as equivalent things. To me, they couldn't be more opposite to each other. Sex is about beauty and joy and giving happiness and sharing affection (when it's done right, anyway). That's about as diametrically opposed to violence as you can get.

 

[tomalak301]

Although a lot of that is showing the consequences, the trauma inflicted on the survivors (which Jessica Jones covered marvelously) and the grief endured by the survivors (which Father Lantom's eulogy for Grotto acknowledged nicely).

That's the thing I loved the most about Jessica Jones. While the ending left some to be desired, I loved Jones's journey prior to all that and the series showing the after effects of what happened.

 

[Christopher]

I think it's fair to say, anyway, that the back half of the season suffered from a lack of Father Lantom. Matt was really losing his way here, isolating himself and becoming unanchored as a result, and he could've used Lantom to verbally slam some sense back into him.

 

[FPAlpha]

I'm really liking this season but the only thing holding it back for me (and it's my attitude on the overall series) is the gratuitous violence. It was almost like the show was trying to top itself with gore in each episode and it almost doesn't mean anything anymore. I see this show being compared to network shows and that's not fair. To compare this show to Supergirl, for example? Is asinine.

I don't have a problem with it, in fact it's something that stands out (positively) in the entire Marvel MCU. The movies and the Shield show have tons of fights, bodies get exploded mile high, buildings topple over and we rarely see a drop of blood, at best the heroes get a little bruised up and some nosebleeds but that's it.

The Netflix shows don't hold back and they show how a real fight looks like and what the effects are.. the heroes get banged up pretty well and they suffer, They have bruises and cuts all over their bodies because when you fight there's always a price to pay on both sides, something the movies can't show due to their PG13 rating.

The only problem i have is that they heal insanely fast from major wounds at times,, the seasons encompass a few days each, no more than a week or two but if you get cut or bruised black you don't recover after a good nights sleep, However it's a problem all shows have.. they need to wound the heroes seriously (no one bats an eye for a papercut) but they can't bench the character for the rest of the season to let them heal so there's bound to be some suspension of disbelief.

 

[Christopher]

The only problem i have is that they heal insanely fast from major wounds at times,, the seasons encompass a few days each, no more than a week or two but if you get cut or bruised black you don't recover after a good nights sleep, However it's a problem all shows have.. they need to wound the heroes seriously (no one bats an eye for a papercut) but they can't bench the character for the rest of the season to let them heal so there's bound to be some suspension of disbelief.

Yeah, I was struck by the inconsistency of seeing Matt and Foggy together in the final episode -- Foggy had his arm in a sling from being shot in the shoulder with a bullet, but Matt had been shot in the shoulder with an arrow not that much earlier and his arm seemed perfectly fine.

That's one thing that bugs me. I can accept showing graphic injury if it actually has some story significance. But it's gratuitous to show someone sustain a graphic injury in a fight and then just go on fighting as if it hadn't happened at all. If it doesn't affect the progress or outcome of the fight, there's no reason to show it at all.

 

[Commander Richard]

I've never understood why so many people are uncomfortable with sex on TV either and in all the years I've been arguing about it, I've never gotten a clear answer that clicks with me. The best I could gather is that sex is too personal and violence isn't. Perhaps someone could elaborate on that. What also puzzles me is when people say that certain sex scenes aren't necessary to the plot. The problem with that is that there are a lot of things that aren't necessary to the plot so why single out the sex?

I'm inclined to think that if you're going to show violence, it's better to make it as ugly and horrifying as possible, rather than sanitizing it and making it seem like no big deal.

Reminds me of 2008's Rambo. It was probably the most graphic depiction of people being shot up that I've ever seen. It showed people actually being shot to bits and pieces with high powered machine guns. And there was a lot of it too but it felt justified because the movie itself had a message... That this sort of thing actually does happen today in parts of the world.